During the course of his ministry recorded in the book of John, Jesus performed seven signs, or miracles, that had earthly meaning as well as heavenly purpose. As each sign grew in magnitude, from turning water into wine to raising a man from the dead, the purpose of bringing glory to God was fulfilled.
The first sign Jesus performed was changing water to wine. Jesus and his disciples were invited to a wedding at Cana in Galilee. When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother Mary told him that there was no more wine. He replied, “Dear woman, why do you involve me? My time has not yet come.” However, she told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do. Nearby were six stone water jars that each held from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants to fill the jars with water. After they filled the jars he told them to take some of the water to the master of the banquet. The master of the wedding banquet tasted some of the water, which had been turned to wine, but did not know where the wine had come from. He liked the wine and told the groom so: “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best for last.”
The recipients of this sign were the servants who filled the jars with water; they witnessed Jesus’ first sign. Although changing water to wine sign seems inconsequential to the overall plan, it was the first of Jesus’ miracles, signifying his transition into ministry.
When Jesus visited Cana again, a royal official whose son was deathly ill heard that Jesus was in town and went to him and pleaded for Jesus to come and heal his son. Jesus said to the official: “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe.” The official asked again that Jesus come heal the child before he died. Jesus told the official, “You may go. Your son will live.” The official went home and found that his son had gotten better around the time Jesus had said “Your son will live.” So he and his entire household were recipients of this sign because they were directly affected by the miracle and they believed in Jesus because of it. Jesus implied by what he said in the quote above that he healed the official’s son to establish or reassure the official’s faith.
When Jesus was in Jerusalem near the pool of Bethesda, he came across a man who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years. When he learned that the man had been an invalid for such a long time, Jesus asked the man if he wanted to get well. The man said that there was no one to help him into the pool when the water was stirred, and when he tried to get in, someone else would get in before him. Jesus said to the man “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk,” and the man was healed. Later Jesus found him at the temple and told him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”
The man who Jesus healed had had no faith in Jesus to heal him—when Jesus asked him if he wanted to get well, the man spoke of how he could not get into the healing waters of Bethesda—yet Jesus healed him. Afterwards the man told the Jews that Jesus had made him well; he received faith from being healed. One reason Jesus performed this sign was compassion for the paralyzed man. Jesus not only healed the man physically but also cleansed him spiritually.
As Jesus and his disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee, a large crowd of about five thousand men followed them to the shore because of the signs they had seen him perform. Then Jesus went up onto a mountain and saw the crowd that followed him. He asked Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” Philip replied that even eight months’ wages would not buy enough food for everyone to have a bite. After searching, the only food that could be found was five small loaves of bread and two small fish. Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down. Then Jesus took the little food that had been found, gave thanks for it, and distributed it to the people. When everyone had eaten his fill, the disciples gathered the left over pieces of food and filled twelve baskets with the bread and fish.
The recipients of this sign were not only the crowd of people that received food but the disciples who were with Jesus. The crowd was amazed at the sign, but they intended to force Jesus to be their king because he could provide them food. To Jesus’ disciples, however, this sign was more proof that Jesus was the Messiah they were waiting for. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that Jesus performed this sign to show his power to his disciples and to the multitude of people. When they wanted to make him king by force, he retreated to a mountain, showing his desire to have a relationship with people so they could know him and be saved.
Jesus’ disciples got into a boat in the evening, after Jesus had fed the five thousand. It was dark, and Jesus was not with them because he had withdrawn to a mountain by himself. When they had rowed three to three and a half miles across the lake, they saw Jesus coming toward them on the water. Because they did not know that who they saw was Jesus, they were afraid; but Jesus called out to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” When the disciples realized it was Jesus, they took him into the boat, and the boat reached the shore immediately.
The recipients of this sign were the disciples in the boat. They were afraid until they realized that the figure walking on water was Jesus. After seeing Jesus feed five thousand people with five loaves of bread, then witnessing him walk on water, they more fully understood Jesus’ God-given power. Similar in the meaning to his previous sign, this sign showed his disciples that he is the Messiah. He demonstrated his power by doing something that was thought to be impossible.
When Jesus and his disciples saw a man who had been blind from birth, the disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus replied, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” After saying this, Jesus spit in the dirt, made mud, and put it on the blind man’s eyes. Then he told the blind man to wash in the pool of Siloam. The man washed, and when he opened his eyes, he could see.
The recipient was the man whom Jesus healed. The blind man did not request that Jesus heal him. In fact, he never said anything to Jesus before he was healed. After Jesus healed him, he believed that Jesus came from God and defended his belief in front of the Pharisees. Jesus performed this sign to give God glory and to show his disciples, as well as the man who was healed, that he is from God.
The last sign Jesus performed was raising a man from the dead. Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, had been dead for four days when Jesus arrived to comfort the man’s sisters, Mary and Martha. Deeply moved, Jesus went to the tomb and asked that the stone be removed. When Martha said that there would be a bad smell, Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” Then the stone was moved and Jesus prayed: “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” He then told Lazarus to come out of the tomb, and Lazarus came out wrapped in grave clothes but very much alive.
The recipients of this sign were Lazarus, Mary, Martha, and the people who had come to visit the grieving sisters. All of the people grieving for Lazarus witnessed this spectacular miracle, and, as a result, many of them believed in Jesus. Jesus performed this final sign to glorify God and show the extent of God’s power through Jesus. Jesus prayed that the people watching him would believe that God sent him so that they would believe in Jesus and praise God.
The seven signs Jesus performed during his ministry recorded in the book of John are as important to his work on earth as what he taught. They developed his character as a compassionate, healing, and powerful Son of God. In each sign, Jesus’ goal to bring glory to God was met.
